Bodybuilding Mom Dies of Protein Overdose

A bodybuilding mom of two reportedly died from a protein overdose on June 22.

Meegan Hefford (25), from Mandurah, Australia, was discovered to have a urea cycle disorder, which blocks the body from correctly breaking down protein.

Hefford was busy preparing for a bodybuilding competition in September and was consuming various protein supplements. Hefford had told her Mother in June that she was feeling tired and “weird.”

“I said to her, ‘I think you’re doing too much at the gym, calm down, slow it down,” White said.

Hefford was reportedly found unconscious in her apartment on June 19 and rushed to the hospital, where it took doctors two days to diagnose her with urea cycle disorder.

By then, the buildup of ammonia in her blood and fluid in her brain was too much, and she was declared brain dead the next day.

Coroners noted “intake of bodybuilding supplements” as one of Hefford’s causes of death, along with the disorder.

The family is now calling for tighter restrictions on protein supplements. “I know there are people other than Meegan who have ended up in hospital because they’ve overloaded on supplements,” White said. “The sale of these products needs to be more regulated.”

Hefford was studying paramedicine while working part-time at a hospital.

The Mom leaves behind her two children, a 7-year-old daughter, and a 5-year-old son.